Philosophical Works · Chapter
XLIII explained
Descartes asserts that error is avoided when assent is given only to clear and distinct perceptions, because God, being no deceiver, has given us infallible faculties of knowledge and will, provided we do not extend the will beyond what is
What happens
Descartes asserts that error is avoided when assent is given only to clear and distinct perceptions, because God, being no deceiver, has given us infallible faculties of knowledge and will, provided we do not extend the will beyond what is clearly known. He adds that even without reasoning, nature impels us to spontaneously assent to clear perceptions and makes doubt impossible.
Themes in this chapter
Skepticism and Certainty
Descartes resolves skepticism by grounding certainty in clear and distinct perception, which is guaranteed by God's non-deception.
God as Guarantor of Truth
God's veracity ensures that the faculty of knowledge is not fallacious when applied to clear and distinct ideas.
Characters to notice
- René Descartes
Author of the argument that clear and distinct perception, guaranteed by God's veracity, prevents error.
- God
Invoked as the non-deceiving guarantor of the faculty of knowledge and will.
Key passages
“But it is certain we will never admit falsity for truth, so long as we judge only of that which we clearly and distinctly perceive; because, as God is no deceiver, the faculty of knowledge which he has given us cannot be fallacious, nor, for the same reason, the faculty of will, when we do not extend it beyond the objects we clearly know.”
We will never mistake falsehood for truth if we judge only what we clearly and distinctly perceive, since God, who is not a deceiver, gave us an infallible cognitive faculty, and similarly our will is not fallible when we limit it to what we clearly know.
This encapsulates Descartes's core epistemological rule: clear and distinct perception, backed by God's veracity, is the criterion for truth and the safeguard against error.
“And even although this truth could not be established by reasoning, the minds of all have been so impressed by nature as spontaneously to assent to whatever is clearly perceived, and to experience an impossibility to doubt of its truth.”
Even if this principle could not be proved by argument, all human minds are naturally inclined to give immediate assent to anything clearly perceived, finding it impossible to doubt.
Descartes appeals to a natural, pre-rational inclination toward clear perception, suggesting that certainty is not solely dependent on formal proof.